Mumbai Indians coach provides Hardik Pandya's fitness update ahead of RR vs MI match

Hardik Pandya has no injury; he is all well to play against the Rajasthan Royals tomorrow, April 7, at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. During the pre-match press conference of the Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians (RR vs MI) IPL 2026 clash, MI bowling coach Paras Mhambrey confirmed the availability of their skipper Hardik Pandya.

Ahead of the match, there were rumors across social media platforms about Pandy’s chances in MI’s upcoming fixture, which will be an away match for them. The speculations escalated from the Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals match, where Suryakumar Yadav was appointed as the stand-in captain of MI, as Pandya was not fit to play the match.

Hardik Pandya's availability confirmed

The bowling coach of the team cleared all the doubts over the captain. In the pre-match press conference, the bowling coach said that Hardik will be available to face the Rajasthan Royals. “Hardik Pandya will be available for tomorrow’s game. He was not injured; he was unwell. He is fit and fine now,” Paras Mhambrey informed.

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Skipper Hardik Pandya will be available for #RRvsMI content tomorrow ☑️#RRvMI #IPL2026 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/ZaNAhVEtcw

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) April 6, 2026

The captain of the Mumbai Indians missed their clash against the Delhi Capitals on April 4 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Pandya missed the match because of illness, as it was reported after the match. As the regular captain was not available to take the field, Suryakumar Yadav played as the stand-in captain in the match.

Hardik Panyda kept himself intact with the team.

Later, it was reported that Hardik Pandya was with the rest of the team and traveled with them to Guwahati right after the Delhi match. Ahead of the RR vs MI match, the pace bowling all-rounder did net sessions with the bat as well.

The ongoing Indian Premier League is still in its early stages, with plenty of matches yet to be played. At this point, taking too courageous decisions can prove fatal in the upcoming days. So, it is not unnatural to see the teams protecting their top talents.

Pandya looked fine in the nets ahead of the RR match

"After warming up, Hardik began with a bowl, having a go in an empty net and spearing his yorkers in at good pace, telling Nitin Patel, the team's physiotherapist, that he had taken to practicing his yorkers at training since the T20 World Cup earlier this year: "If yorkers you can land means the other balls are much more easier"," according to ESPNCricinfo.

The report further stated that under the observation of Kieron Pollard, the middle-order batter has batted in the nets. With the bat in hand, Pandya looked in good touch.

Hardik Pandya looked in fine spirits in the training session, though, and could be in line for a return to the field, it was reported ahead of MI's upcoming clash against the Rajasthan Royals. Now, the coach confirmed the availability of the leader of the team.

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